St. Paul daily globe., 1887-10-23


| white. She organized a band Of eXhOrt-
OrS, and went from farm to farm, plead
| ing with both cOl0rS to quit their mean-
ness. Her band grew and now it num-
| berS something like 500 members of her
color.
In company with some friends l drove
out to her church, which is situated
three miles from here, Sunday evening.
says correspondent of the New Or
leans Picayune. Long EefOre we
reached the church we could hear the
picking of the banjo and the shutting OF
feet. Alighting, Scinda, arrayed in
gorgeous red and yellow, came to the
door TO greet us and welcome us in. The
church is small structure made of pine
logs. Around on 1.-THE walls hang her
paraphernalia used in her marches
through the country. In the center of
the room stood little table covered
with red cloth of grotesque figures of
white Sewed ON it. This is where the
members speak.
When we arrived 'tsoldier'' was
telling his inspirations of the day. He
consumed about ten minutes, then they
danced and sang and played the banjo
and shouted. When dancing begins
they all stand up, and as many as can
join hands until a circle is formed They
march around and around, singing their
own chants. occasionally stopping, and
each one goes through a shuttle to the
music of banjo. This performance
lasts about ten minutes, then another
few minutes before they break up for
the day. Then every voice is hushed
and a stiffness pervadeS the house.
Rising slowly and deliberately from
her seat. Scinda, the priestess of this
new, original and strange religion. pro
ceedS to the appointed stand. Every
one watches her with wide-eyed Won
der. and is eager to catch every syllable
of her utterance. Her sermons are
short and to the point.
She claims that every word escaping
her lips is from God: Her sayings are
original, and some of them hot devoid
of good sense. In her sermon Sunday.
among other things, she said: Some
of you darkies are like hoecake cooked
only on one side. You come to church.
and. oh, nothing is too good for you to
do. You sing and pray, and dance and
shout, until one would think you are
ready for heaven. Monday comes, you
show the raw side. You are with the
world; you steal, you lie and do every
thing that is wrong. That Is not the
hOecake cooked through and through:
when YOU break it in the middle let it
be brown as it is on the bottom.''
Speaking Of law, she said no law could
be made too stringent for her. She
wanted every violation of Gods will
punished on earth as well as in the
world to come. ''The judges of our
courts she said, fought to be baptiSed
in the grace of God; the Bible says that
lawyers ought to be good and honest,
and prosecuting attorneys ought to be
lilnPkfjIl Df J,afipinr, :, hn
personal cleanliness and in this she is
not far from gOdliness. She rigidly en-
forces honesty and the prompt payment
of debts.
Size plays powerful part in the polit-
I Zeal affairs OF Grenada county and the
! surrounding country. No politician dares
! oppose her. and about election time she
Is the recipient of more adulation and
homage than white eXponents of the
scriptures.
She holds the balance of power. and
when candidate has her promise of
support he is safe. Her band probably
polls 800 votes, and every one of them
votes as she directs. They dare note
obey the ten-thousandth part of her
simplest behest. 1t means, if they do,
that Scinda's band will dance them
into the bottomless pit of hell. She be-
/ llcvcs that fellow is punished as he
behaves himself on earth; the more he
sins the worse his punishment.
Neither she nor her band is subject
| of derision. They are subjects for
thought. In this enlightened age,
closely surrounded by churches. this
woman has built up an influence that is
powerful, and continues to grow. She
firmly declares that God has told her
the world would come TO a close this
year. This statement only came from
her 4 few days ago, and the colored
people are exercised over her message
i from God as they were never before.